title: Construct validity of the Beck Depression Inventory in a depressive population.
abstract: This study investigates the construct validity of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in a large population of DSM-III unipolar depressive inpatients. The BDI correlates weakly with the Hamilton scale and differentiates between minor, major and melancholic/psychotic unipolar depressive subgroups. Factor analysis of the BDI resulted in psychological/cognitive (BDIPSY) and somatic/vegetative (BDISOM) subscales. The BDISOM subscale displayed a narrower relationship with the depression construct, as evidenced by a better differential validity and by significant effects for the DST non-suppression response. The present findings generally lend support to the construct validity of the BDI in depressive populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Antwerp (U.Z.A.), Edegem, Belgium.
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Schotte
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cluydts
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Doncker
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cosyns
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003907:Dexamethasone; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D003907:Dexamethasone; D006854:Hydrocortisone